Staying Safe Online This Christmas

With Christmas just around the corner the pressure to buy, buy, buy, to create that ‘perfect’ Christmas can be all too overwhelming. We’ve really tried to cut back in the last few years, by making memories rather than overspending. We’ve also spent time creating and sticking to a budget to take away some of that financial stress. However, I would probably still get sucked into an online bargain on that ‘must-have’ toy. But sometimes it really is too good to be true!

Worryingly, spokesperson for Mcafee, Raj Samani says we are at risk of losing a huge £725 each this Christmas due to risky shopping habits. And that half of people would have to ‘cancel Christmas’ if they had money stolen from their account by an online fraudster or hacker. We would fall into this half! This is despite the average Brit saving four months ahead of Christmas to be able to afford presents, food and other festive items.

With the pressures of Christmas it’s easy to forget how to stay safe online.

McAfee’s have put together these tips to stay safe while shopping online:

Always connect with caution

Public Wi-Fi might seem like a good idea, but if consumers are not careful, they could be unknowingly be exposing personal information or credit card details to cybercriminals who are snooping on the network. If you have to conduct transactions on a public Wi-Fi connection use a virtual private network (VPN) to help keep your connection secure.

Think before you click

One of the easiest ways for a cybercriminal to compromise their victim is by using phishing emails to lure consumers into clicking links for products or services that could lead to malware, or a phony website designed to steal personal information. If the deal seems too good to be true, or the email was not expected it is always best to check directly with the source.

Browse with security protection

As our daily activities become more ingrained in our digital lives, it is important to keep everything protected. A comprehensive security solution like Mcafee can help ensure that your devices are protected against malware, phishing attacks and device-specific protection in the event of loss or theft.